A very sad report for Quebec’s performance halls

In 2023, professional ticketed shows in all performing arts disciplines were attended by more than 4.1 million spectators, according to a study conducted by the Working Group on Performing Arts Attendance (WGPA). That’s a lot, don’t you think? Yes, but it’s still a decrease compared to the previous study in 2018.

All these people who attended shows correspond to a total of 18 million entries, or an average of 4.4 shows per person who bought a ticket, while in 2018, this average was 4.98.

Thus, more than half (57%) of the Quebec population aged over 16 attended at least one show compared to 65% last year.

Ultimately, the loss of attendance between 2018 and 2023 is 12.5%. Only the circus saw its attendance in the positive column. This drop in audiences is mainly marked among young people aged 16 to 24. We can see that the generation “lost” by the pandemic is no longer used to going to shows, especially among boys.

The over-65 age group also moved away from concert halls, while the 35-44 age group kept their good habits.

The pandemic

This study is part of a cultural landscape shaken by COVID-19. In 2019, the year before the pandemic, the performing arts community had a boom year in terms of attendance, even a peak since 1994.

The researchers relied on a set of data compiled through a national survey of more than 6,000 respondents — just like in 2018 — which included about a hundred questions on 40 themes. Another “recontacting” survey made it possible to reach 4,000 respondents again on about thirty new themes.

Among the study criteria, attention was paid to the impacts of the pandemic and the economic situation on the consumption of performing arts.

The study — carried out by the firm Daigle/Saire — takes into account territorial realities (urban centres, outskirts, remote regions, etc.) and considers numerous elements, including the various forms of professional broadcasting (free, paid, festival, alternative locations, etc.).

Teleworking

While attendance figures are essential benchmarks, we must not forget that they alone only tell part of the story.

Each artistic discipline evolves independently, which can explain significant variations from one year to the next, such as the tour of a successful show across the province or the disappearance of a major player in the ecosystem, as was the case for Juste pour Rire, for example.

The circus is a striking example, as it is the only discipline to have seen an increase in attendance in 2023. This discipline has made a major breakthrough in regions further away from urban centres, which explains this craze.

Teleworking certainly influences the public’s choice regarding their presence at shows.

Teleworking has allowed many people to leave the city for the suburbs or peri-urban areas, which has resulted in fewer audiences for shows presented in the city. Since the number of shows on offer is greater in urban centres, this exodus of city dwellers is also reflected in attendances.

This decline is particularly evident among spectators who bought 10 or more show tickets per year. The distancing effect is therefore palpable.

The public

The public portraits confirm the study’s conclusions, particularly for the strongest variables such as household income, level of education and age.

The non-public – that is to say individuals who did not consume paid professional shows during the year – represented 43% of the population in 2023, against 35% in 2018.

While the non-public tends to grow with age, it is, as for the public, its income and level of education which determines its profile.

Minority or marginalized populations, even if they cover a very broad spectrum of realities, continue to consume more shows (both paid and free) than the entire Quebec population.

The regions

Large urban centres such as Montreal and Quebec City are the most affected by the drop in attendance. Laval, Centre-du-Québec and Mauricie are also suffering the same fate.

Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean and Montérégie are following the same downward slope, but with less magnitude.

On the other hand, regions more marked by vacationing or which have experienced an increase in their population are doing well by showing an increase in attendance.

We are talking here about Outaouais and Estrie, which are at the top of the rankings. Lanaudière, Abitibi and Bas-St-Laurent also show an increase, although less significant.

Overall, only five regions out of 17 can boast of having an increase in attendance at their performance halls and festivals.

Humor and young people

Humor is the artistic form that reaches the greatest number of Quebecers, followed by song and theater.

Attendance at each performing arts discipline is scrutinized through variables such as age, average number of shows attended, gender, education level and employment status.

This edition of the study, unlike that of 2018, includes on its agenda the consumption of shows for young audiences, which shows that 14% of respondents say they have attended at least one show of this type during the year, particularly in circus and French-language song, and much more rarely in classical music.

Respondents aged 16 to 25 and 35 to 44 were those who most often reported attending shows aimed at young audiences during 2023. It should be noted that those under 16 were not allowed to respond to the survey.

Preferences

The intensity of attendance at professional shows over the course of a year and age are the variables that have the most sensitivity on the preferences of respondents, whether they are parameters directly linked to the show or to the outing.

In fact, experience shapes preferences. The more shows an individual consumes and the older he is, the more he knows what he prefers in a show or the outing that surrounds it.

The most polarized preferences are those associated with the identity-based nature of the show, namely the origin of the artists and the main language, particularly among older respondents.

Conversely, the youngest do not seem to have marked preferences for these identity variables. As for them, preferences related to the times and days when a show takes place follow fairly clear and less nuanced trends than for the nature and format of a show.

In general, Saturdays and Fridays at 8 p.m. are very popular, while weekday shows, which start a little earlier, are more the preserve of a regular audience.

Afternoon performances are almost exclusively preferred on Sundays.

Understanding the evolution of audiences

Between 2018 and 2023, regardless of the type of shows (professional or amateur, free or paid, indoor or outdoor), attendance shows a decrease.

The decline is more marked for indoor shows (free or paid) and amateur shows, while for professional outdoor shows, the drop in attendance is slighter.

If we only look at professional shows, attendance decreased by 17% between 2018 and 2023, all types of shows combined (paid and free). Attendance at paid professional shows only decreased by 19%.

This general decline in audiences and attendance takes on different faces. Although older audiences in 2018 were consuming fewer shows as they age, this trend is becoming more pronounced in 2023.

The observation is the same among young people, with one nuance: we are seeing a sharp increase in non-public among young men.

The 2023 audience is therefore smaller and it consumes fewer shows than in 2018, particularly among “passionate and insatiable” spectators who, according to the study, see more than 10 shows per year.

Other factors have been put forward to explain this decline, such as the influence of the economic situation, mobility towards peri-urban regions or even the drop in the subscription rate.

Time management in a context of scarcity of available time is also a factor to consider. The more shows an individual attends, the more likely he or she will consume other leisure activities.

The profile of major entertainment consumers reflects an active lifestyle and an ability to free up time and organize it according to cultural choices.

The study findings reveal that the transformation of performing arts audiences continues. In many ways, the pandemic has accelerated and changed the consumption of performing arts.